Scottish distilleries attract 1.2m visitors in 2007

Data from ScotlandWhisky discovered 1,233,696 people toured a distillery in the country in 2007, which represents a 2.6% increase over the last three years.

Some 22.4m was spent at whisky visitor attractions over the same period, a 17.8% jump in spending.

Chris Conway, ScotlandWhisky spokesman, said: "These figures are a testament to Scotch Whisky's importance to Scotland's tourism experience. Scotch Whisky is recognised worldwide, but can only be produced in Scotland.

"Using Scotch to encourage tourists to come and explore Scotland is a real advantage to the country, bringing visitors and economic benefits to many communities from Islay to Speyside."